Port of San Luis CBP Officers Seize Meth worth $190K

TUCSON, Ariz. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested a Buckeye resident attempting to smuggle nearly 64 pounds of methamphetamine through the Port of San Luis Wednesday night.

Port of San Luis, Arizonamethamphetamine seizure

Officers referred the 29-year-old U.S. woman for an additional inspection as she attempted to enter the country. After a CBP narcotics detection canine alerted to an odor it is trained to detect coming from her Chevy SUV, officers thoroughly searched and discovered more than 60 packages concealed inside the fuel tank. The drugs weighed nearly 64 pounds and have an estimated value of $190,000.

Officers seized the drugs and the vehicle, the subject was arrested and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.

Federal law allows officers to charge individuals by complaint, a method that allows for filing of charges for criminal activity without inferring guilt. An individual is presumed innocent unless and until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

CBP's Office of Field Operations is the primary organization within Homeland Security tasked with an anti-terrorism mission at our nation’s ports. CBP officers screen all people, vehicles and goods entering the United States while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel. Their mission also includes carrying out border-related duties, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration and trade laws, and protecting the nation's food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between official ports of entry. CBP is charged with securing the borders of the United States while enforcing hundreds of laws and facilitating lawful trade and travel.